Page 917 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 30 March 1993
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There are several points which I believe are fundamental to proper and appropriate dog control in the ACT. The Government obviously has the responsibility to enact laws and to enforce such laws, but the community also has very big responsibilities. Firstly, there is the registration of the animal. Madam Speaker, it is essential for the security of the animal and the responsibilities of the owner that registration occurs. If the kids leave the gate open and the animal member of the family escapes, registration gives an opportunity for a reunion of that family.
Secondly, Madam Speaker, there is the acknowledgment by the owner or owners of the responsibility they have accepted in owning the dog. This responsibility includes providing loving and caring control of the dog, a sense of his or her own wider responsibility to ensure the safety of the community, and a knowledge of the role and expected behaviour of domestic dogs as pets in a city. Without that acceptance, I do not believe that those owners have the moral right to place an animal under their so-called care.
Thirdly, there is appropriate training of the animal. Madam Speaker, by no means do I suggest that Rover must be the latest star of the dog food advertisement, but the animal should certainly be trained to a basic level of control. This would ensure that the dog is controllable by the owner at all times. Fourthly, appropriate housing and fencing is required. If you do not have adequate fencing you should not have the dog. Priority one must surely be to erect a secure fence and to train the kids to keep the gate shut. These fundamental objectives for responsible dog ownership can be difficult to achieve if there is little or no consideration given to the appropriateness of the breed of dog for life in an urban environment, or the role the dog is trained for in this environment.
Madam Speaker, I have already referred to the recently enacted changes to the dog control laws. These changes were made because the Government recognised the need to enforce more strongly the need for some irresponsible owners to care for their dogs in the proper manner. These laws are in place to ensure that owners do not let their dogs roam, thus allowing them to do everything from knocking over garbage bins and digging up gardens to viciously attacking members of the public. I am more than disappointed that members of our community have this appalling idea that they can go out and buy a dog and then not care what it does or where it does it. This happens despite the owner's knowledge, in most cases, of these strict laws and with a complete disregard for other members of their community. I think that we in this Assembly may have been naive to believe that the changes to the dog control laws last year would force those in our community who need to change their behaviour to do so.
Quite obviously, Madam Speaker, we now have no choice but to make the laws very harsh to protect the innocent in our community, to ensure that the owners of dogs are responsible and to ensure the safety of the dogs themselves. However, in order for such harsh penalties to be effective, I believe that a dramatic increase in the staffing levels and funding of the dog control unit is necessary. I take this opportunity to call on the Government to immediately address the need to employ more patrols throughout the ACT. I suggest that the Government employ whatever creative means it has at its disposal to cover this gap in dog patrols as quickly as possible. No level of fine, no matter how high, no
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